Fall-Off-The-Bone Pork Ribs – Instant Pot / Oven

Summertime means BBQ time in our home. One of our all-time favorite barbecue dishes is Fall-Off-The-Bone Pork ribs! This smoky, sticky, juicy, fall-off-the-bone-tender goodness is a crowd pleaser for sure. But, who says you need a grill to make them? And who says, you can’t make them in Winter?

My husband has perfected this recipe, which combines the best of both worlds. He pressure cooks the meat in our instant pot, so that the meat absorbs the rub and gets super tender, and then he grills it (or broils it) to caramelize those amazing flavors. You cannot help but lick your fingers with this one!

The BBQ Chef in my Family:

In our home, I’m the cook and my husband is the mixologist! So, our territories are pretty clear when we’re entertaining or cooking for our family, I cook the food and he makes some wicked good drinks, cocktails and mocktails. But, when it comes to Pork Ribs or anything barbecue, he’s the guy you want to talk to.

BBQ Pork Ribs are one of his favorite foods to cook, serve and eat. He has tried out some of the best barbecue places in the country, and has literally gone up to chefs and asked for their recipes:-) In the end, he came up with a “best of” of all the recipes and made this version, which has now become a family favorite.

Easy 2-Step Process for Wicked-Good RIBS!

In my husband’s easy Instant Pot 6Qt (electrical pressure-cooker) version, the ribs are cooked to perfection in the pressure cooker, then coated with BBQ sauce and finished off in the oven broiler (or BBQ grill), for the ultimate Pork Ribs ever! This recipe is pretty easy to double for entertaining, as shown in the video!

The first time he made it, we were entertaining friends and we were all wowed in the first bite! The best part about this recipe was that he had no mess to clean, and was out in the backyard grilling chicken and corn sipping his signature Mojito, while the Instant Pot 6Qt was at work!

Texture Preference:

We like our ribs really fall-off-the-bone tender, so, the 30 minutes MANUAL time works for us. But if you like them less tender than that, you can reduce the cooking time to 26-28 minutes. Another way to keep the ribs intact is to leave the membrane as-is. The membrane holds the rack together. My husband prefers to remove it though. He says the meat absorbs the flavors of the rub better without the membrane.

Oven Recipe for Fall-off-the-Bone Pork Ribs:

This recipe can also be made entirely in the oven. Here’s how:

In a bowl, mix together all ingredients listed under “Dry Rub”. Line a tray with aluminum foil and lay the ribs upside down. Using a paper towel, remove the thin membrane at the back of the ribs, as shown in the video. This step is optional. Coat the ribs liberally with the dry rub. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.

Turn ON the oven at 400°F. Wrap the ribs in heavy-duty foil so that the juices don’t leak. Cook for 90 minutes. Remove from the oven and place them on a foil lined baking sheet.

Coat them with your favorite barbecue sauce. Adjust the top rack of the oven to the second level grooves. Place the baking sheet, cook in BROIL mode, for 2-5 minutes on the presentation side (oven temperatures may differ so its best to start watching after 2 minutes). This step can alternatively be done on the BBQ grill for the same time. Enjoy!

BBQ Sauce:

There are times when my husband makes his own BBQ sauce from scratch. But these days there are so many great tasting store-bought sauces out there, that it’s a legit shortcut that save you so much time and the result is still lip-smacking good. Our current favorite is the Trader Joe’s TJ’s Bold & Smoky Kansas City Style Barbecue Sauce. It’s so good on chicken too!

In a bowl, mix together all ingredients listed under "Dry Rub". Line a tray with aluminum foil and lay the ribs upside down. Using a paper towel, remove the thin membrane at the back of the ribs, as shown in the video. This step is optional. Coat the ribs liberally with the dry rub. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.

Instant Pot Recipe

Turn on the Instant Pot (pressure cooker). Pour in the water, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce. Coil the ribs around to fit in the pot. Close the lid. Turn pressure knob to SEALING mode. Cook on MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK (high-pressure) for 30 minutes (28 minutes if you don't prefer fall-off-the bone)

Wait 10 minutes before releasing the pressure (NPR 10), or, release the pressure instantly by turning the knob to VENTING mode (QR-quick release- yup, it works too). Using tongs, remove the ribs and place them on a foil lined baking sheet.

Oven Recipe

Turn ON the oven at 400°F. Wrap the ribs in heavy-duty foil so that the juices don’t leak. Cook for 90 minutes. Remove from the oven and place them on a foil lined baking sheet.

Finish in Broiler or on BBQ Grill

This step is done after you cook the ribs in the instant pot or the oven. Coat the ribs with your favorite barbecue sauce. Adjust the top rack of the oven to the second level grooves. Place the baking sheet, cook in BROIL mode, for 2-5 minutes on the presentation side (oven temperatures may differ so its best to start watching after 2 minutes). This step can alternatively be done on the BBQ grill for the same time. Enjoy!

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aneeshasg

January 24, 2018 at 6:54 pm

Thank you for the tip Gary! I have been making Ribs using this recipe for years now- each time the result is tender and fall-off-the-bone. If you had a chance to look at the video, you’ll see it for yourself 🙂 I will try NPR next time and see if there is any difference. Thanks again!

JP

aneeshasg

March 23, 2018 at 8:23 am

Hi JP, the measurements are for 1 rack of ribs, roughly 3-4 lbs. If you’re cooking more than one, simply multiply accordingly. The cook time remains the same in Instant POt. Would love to hear back how they turned out. Happy Cooking!

Leann

June 22, 2018 at 7:55 pm

These were the most delicious ribs I’ve ever made! Everyone raved about them. I set timer for 28 minutes and did not remove the membrane. Did 5 minutes NR, then QR the rest. 4 minutes under the broiler and they were perfect!